Back catalogue: Folk/Americana

Review: Singer-songwriting wrapped up in the dusty acid wash denim of Americana doesn't really get more authentic than what Bill Callahan of Silver Spring, Maryland, can deliver. His latest LP, a mass saunter through 20 tracks of smokey spoken word and lightly sung lyrics, falls upon a picturesque bevvy of humble and acoustic instrumentation. Callahan's songs croon with romance, metaphor, and folky yarns that find their place among fingerpicked guitars and light melodies that enjoy a contrast with the darker musings of Callahan's own world of experience and storytelling. It presents the artist with his first studio in some five years, and a sound that is looser than a typical Bill Callahan missive but full of melodrama that centres around life and death. Our pick, Callahan's cover of the Carter Family's "Lonesome Valley".

Review: Bill Callahan comes alive in Chicago, with Jim White, Matt Kinsey and special guests Nick Mazzarella, Pascal Kerong'A, Nathaniel Ballinger and Natural Information Society's Joshua Abrams & Lisa Alvarado. In answer to the question of why he made this album, Bill responded: "Songs tend to mutate after they've been recorded. These songs were mutating faster than usual. Like whatever happened to Bruce Banner in the lab - I knew these songs were about to get superpowers" this change needed to be documented." Resuscitate! was thus born out of a pulmonary metamorphosis, its ten avant-folk pieces recalling themes of rebirth after lung failure and/or clinical death and NDE. A live album of collective jams, viola-tremolos, rural connotations and deep vocal charges as ever from Callahan; all are given fresh mutative life.

Review: Drag City has reissued Dorothy Carter's 1976 debut album, Troubadour, a significant work in her folk music career. Known for her expertise on hammered dulcimer and psaltery, Carter's musiciinterweaving Appalachian, Celtic, Jewish, and her own compositionsiexudes a timeless, magical quality. This reissue not only revives her debut but also includes an insert with additional photos and notes by producer Eric Demby, recalling his childhood encounters with Carter's music. Troubadour captures Carter's eclecticism and her dedication to melding global musical traditions. The album opens with the medieval French instrumental 'Troubadour Song' and ventures through a variety of folk traditions, including an enigmatic rendition of the Scottish ballad 'The Twa Sisters' and a vibrant Psalm 100 in 'Make a Joyful Sound.' Carter's approach blends Eastern and Western influences most strikingly on 'Tree of Life,' hinting at the spiritual fusion she would explore further in her later work. With tracks like the Israeli folk song 'The King of Glory,' Michael Praetorius' 'The Morning Star,' and Appalachian standards 'The Cuckoo' and 'Shirt of Lace,' the album is a profound exploration of folk traditions. This reissue, presented in its original format with enriched visuals and historical context, offers a deep dive into Carter's visionary artistry, capturing the essence of her early, transformative work. Essential listening for fans of Michael O'Shea, Laraaji, and Jerusalem in My Heart.